“New and improved” can be quite the risky statement to put on a product, especially when it’s a beloved favorite among customers. And, if the outcry on social media is any indicator, Aldi may be learning that the hard way. The grocery store has revamped its popular Kirkwood Parmesan Herb Chicken Tenders with an advertised “new improved formula,” and longtime fans are not impressed. As many have decried across Reddit and Facebook, the new tenders are noticeably thinner strips of chicken with a thicker layer of breading. Some customers have also noted a lack of seasoning compared to the old version, and a review of each version’s nutrition facts shows decreases in calories, sodium, and protein. But the biggest change of all is that the new ones come already cooked. Whereas the previous beloved version came frozen and uncooked, the new one just needs to be heated up from frozen.
It’s a curious move, considering Aldi’s Kirkwood chicken products are among its most popular items and have highly loyal followings. Formerly, each was assigned their own bag color; the Parmesan Herb variety was lovingly known as “green bag chicken.” Now it’s in a red bag, just like the plain “red bag chicken,” adding some unnecessary confusion into the mix. It seems the rollout was slow, though, as some customers on Reddit noted they were recently able to buy the old green bag Parmesan chicken at the same time that others said they could no longer find it at their local stores. But while the old bag can still be found on Aldi’s website, it shows up as out of stock.
Why Aldi changed up its frozen chicken tenders
This isn’t the first time Aldi shoppers have been unhappy with product changes, and the Parmesan Herb Chicken Tenders have not remained unscathed in the past. The last time Aldi tweaked the recipe appears to have been in 2021, when observers noted the chicken pieces became a bit bigger and the nutritional values changed. It was during this time that the name also changed slightly from “Breaded Chicken Breast Tenders” to “Chicken Breast Tender Fritters,” which is still on the label of the newest iteration. So, why did they change again just a few years later?
The exact reason is unknown — Aldi has not released any public statement on the matter. However, social media buzzed with some theories. The first is that the new recipe is simply cheaper to make, which could be supported by the fact that Aldi lowered the price on a number of items back in 2023, including the Parmesan Chicken (from $9.49 to $8.49). There’s also speculation that 2024’s avian flu outbreak, along with recalls due to chicken listeria, resulted in the changes, specifically the switch from “ready to cook” to “fully cooked” chicken. Finally, it’s possible that Aldi simply went through some operational shifts. According to one customer on Facebook who said they wrote to Aldi expressing disappointment with the new version, the store’s customer service team reportedly replied, saying, “Occasionally, recipes and suppliers do change, and we’ll definitely pass your feedback along to our team regarding this.”
Are there other chicken tenders Aldi shoppers can buy?
There are a few things you should know before taking a trip to Aldi, one of which is that you do have a variety of chicken options aside from the Parmesan Herb bag. If you’re missing the original recipe, you could try grabbing a bag of the regular Kirkwood Chicken Breast Fillets and dressing them up to your liking with finely grated parmesan and herbs of your choice. Though, while they’re not tenders, Aldi does have parmesan chicken in another form: the Kirkwood Chicken Parmesan Bites. There are still several other Kirkwood chicken bag options to choose from, though, not to mention a huge range of other chicken products — both pre-cooked and raw — you can try.
We get it. Nobody likes it when their favorite grocery store staple is changed, and who knows if Aldi will take the criticism to heart and switch back to the old Parmesan Herb Crusted Chicken recipe? Aldi is also still one of the most affordable supermarket chains right now, so it’s still worth a visit even without the beloved chicken. But hey, now’s the time to explore new options! Just be sure to pay attention to the dates and stickers on each chicken package though, as it could help you score even cheaper groceries at Aldi.
